Amazon.ca is asking for identity verification. We are based in the US.
I’m filling out the information and it asks for either a passport number or National ID Number.
What qualifies as a national ID? Does a drivers license count? The Amazon page provides no information, and while I’m sure Amazon account health would give me an answer, I’m not confident the answer would be reliable. If the verification fails and they suspend the .ca account (which I don’t care much about) they will undoubtedly suspend my .com account as well (which I care about greatly) and I really don’t want to deal with that.
First, I am not the beneficial owner. I am just an employee, so I would have to get my boss’s passport info. I’d rather not have that conversation unless I have to.
Second, it asks for either a passport or a national ID, implying that other forms of ID are acceptable. If a drivers license works, that would make my life easier.
I have no idea what the identifying documents options in Canada are, and what they had in mind when they ask for national ID. A drivers license in the US is issued by state, but recognized nationally so.. maybe?
Some countries have national IDs. In those countries, you could use their national ID. We don’t really have that. So, the instructions might just be a general one to apply to all countries that might have a national ID.
I’m pretty sure if I were the boss and they needed my ID, I’d want to have that conversation.
A conversation asking him for his license info for ID verification is one we have had before, and is relatively straightforward. A conversation about his passport details is something else. If that is the only option, my best bet is probably to talk him into submitting the details himself.
In any event, it doesn’t make sense that a passport would be the only option for verification. According to the US State Department, 51% of Americans held a valid U.S. passport as of October 2024, already a dramatic increase from 5% in 1990 and about a third in 2010. Many people have one, but just as many don’t, and making it the only verification method seems restrictive.
Yes, so just ask him if he wants to submit it or how he’d like to handle it. Whether or not the requirement is reasonable isn’t really the question. I think they shouldn’t require sellers to have utilities, as online sellers often don’t need an actual facility. Their business is usually a PO Box. They work from home and the utilities are not in the business’s name. But this is Amazon, so there you have it.
Why even risk this over an argument over whether a driver’s license should be accepted? At the very least, ask your boss if he’d like you to assume that risk.
Ever since the 010225 Canadian News Headline “New identification requirements for Amazon.ca sellers” (link) rolled out, there have been reports of U.S.-based sellers being asked for information - such as a National ID - that doesn’t apply to such entities.
Levi_Dylan_Amazon has created a couple of posts over in the Canadian NSFE re: Self-attestation documentation:
From 020425, with a reply by our friend @booknut7 -
Something similar is going on w/ demands for the Brazilian Marketplace - this is the 2nd-most trending topic over in the US NSFE, after the slew of “Unexplained Other Charge” discussions - so I’m led to believe that Amazon, in its typical ham-fisted, one size fits all approach, has yet again deployed a poorly-thought out initiative…
There have been some reports that submitting IRS Form 147C - aka “EIN Verification Letter” has seen success in satisfying Amazon’s requirements - purportedly, in both of these marketplaces.
Maybe I just didn’t get that far in the process, but all I was asked for re: beneficial owner information so far was passport information or national ID information. I just don’t know what qualifies as a national ID. Does a state issued drivers license or ID card count? I haven’t found any straight answers yet.
It boggles the mind that an employee such as yourself, who does not have the legal right to buy, sell, or trade the company, would be required or expected to use his or her own personal identification to meet this Amazonian request for proof of ultimate company control or ownership.
Heck, I haven’t found any answers yet, and I am in Canada! I am going to attempt round five at some point, but as far as I can see, it is at least a six step program. First I apparently have to get a physical “token” to get a code to get an ID to fill in the template to send with the form. And pay a notary for his stamp. I really wish Amazon did not generate 70% of my sales.
To be clear, they don’t want my ID, they want the ID of the beneficial owner or trustee of the company that owns the account. This would by my boss’s information. But it’s up to me to find out exactly what information we need. If only a passport will do, I will tell him that. But it would be much easier for everyone if they will take another, easier accessible form of ID.
I don’t understand the reluctance to tell the boss. If it’s a requirement, it’s not your requirement. Let the boss make the decision, especially if the consequences could be Amazon shutting down the business. If the boss doesn’t want to use the passport, he will let you know to find another option. You are worrying over nothing at this point.
The only thing close to a national ID is a passport. Whether they will accept a driver’s license is a toss-up. No one here can really answer unless they’ve done it, but it seems like no one has. If you use a driver’s license, please let us know how it goes so your experience can be our guiding light.
Amazon asked for my Passport number a few tries ago. It was not rejected, but then they wanted a piece of paper with a government logo. I went to a real office and got a different (easier) version of how to get what I need here (hopefully!), but I am going to register my business provincially. It has been registered federally for tax gathering for decades, but the paperwork they gave me has no address. Goodness only knows what they will want from a US person who is not likely to register the business here.
